Stargazer
by ReiHinoFan
Summary: There are two things that haven't changed in 1,000 years...Marceline and the night sky. (Sugarless Gum)


Marceline strummed her bass as she floated over the Candy Kingdom, her over-sized sunhat keeping her safe from the sun's rays. She was board out of her mind since Finn and Jake were out fighting Ice King (Marceline herself didn't want to get involved since she still saw Simon in the old cruel king) and no one else seemed brave enough to hang out with the Vampire-Demon hybrid. So by default she decided that she should pay Bonnibel a visit. After all, the Candy Monarch could afford to have some fun.

Marceline made herself invisible before approaching the castle as to not freak out the guards blocking her way. She simply floated past them and into an open window on one of the high towers. After that she just floated through the castle looking for the pink haired teen. "Dork's probably in the lab," Marceline said out loud before making a sharp turn down another hallway towards her destination. She slowly opened the doors and snuck in.

Bubblegum was mixing some unknown chemicals together in different vials when Marceline floated over, a serious expression graced the princess's face as she mixed two of the vials, placing them down to take down some notes. That was when Marceline decided it was safe to make her presence known.

"Hello Bonnibel," Marceline called as she reappeared in thin air, sure to scare the other, "Wanna do something fun with me?"

"What in the-!" Bubblegum squeaks, hands flying into the air, pen and paper sailing across the room and skidding smooth against the tiled ground. She spins around abruptly, brows screwed up in confusion, but the person before her is all too familiar. Her shoulders relax suddenly, almost slump, and she moves over silently to retrieve her notebook.

"Marceline." Bubblegum huffs, a little put off by the sudden intrusion. She only shakes her head at the vampire's usual mischief, fingers gripping her pen with a newfound determination as she palms her notebook. She sneaks Marceline a little glance out of the corner of her eye, not surprised to find that the queen looked as smug as always. "Can you not see I'm busy here? Not to mention, your idea of 'fun' is a little concerning. Thank you, but no thank you."

Marceline frowned, the smug look leaving her pale face.

"Aw, come on Bonnie!" Marceline floated upside down in front of the princess, red eyes eye level with the princess's. "We can go run with the wolves! That'll get your blood pumping! And it would do you some good to get some exercise, being in a lab does nothing for your figure Princess."

Princess Bubblegum let out an offended huff, shooting the vampire across from her a near-death glare. "Are you trying to imply that there is something wrong with figure?" She demanded, puffing out her cheeks. "And based on the last encounter I had with wolves, you know, them _tearing apart my bedroom_, I'll have to politely decline."

"That didn't sound to polite Princess" Marceline laughed, moving to float right-side up next to the Candy princess, her legs folded Indian style as she floated, "Hey I just learned a new form…wanna see?" She asked with the same enthusiasm as a child despite her age. The Candy Princess only turned and gave her a look, eyebrows raised a tad.

"That depends. Is it going to involve you _breaking_, _harming_, or otherwise_destroying_anything in this room? Because if so, I'd rather you not. I have a lot of important experiments stored in here, Marceline." The Princess stated sternly at the vampire before her.

Hurt flashed momentarily in those red eyes before the vampire growled, "Why do you always get mad at me when I come visit you? You're always happy to see Finn or Jake." Marceline couldn't help but he jealous of the two. Bubblegum was always so much happier to see them then to see her…

Marceline floated back a few feet before her red boots made contact with the ground with an unusually load thud. "Why do you always assume I'm going to turn into a monster?! What? Is that all I am to you?! A monster?! Maybe I worked all month long to shift into something, I dunno, A little NICER then a lizard monster or a tentacle monster?! Maybe I'm sick of turning into monsters!"

Well, Marceline didn't work on this form for a month to now show it to Bonnibel, so she smiled and shifted her form. In a few moments she shifted into a small four-legged creature. The Princess had raised her a hand to her head as she knew the other monarch would get angry at her words and that was one thing that the Candy Princess did not want to happen.

"Cabbage, Marceline, I never said that! I'm just trying to get my work done, and I can't exactly _do_ that when you're trying to get me to run with wolves or strangle pixies or-" Bubblegum trained off when she noticed the other girl was not standing next to her. A look of confusion made it's way to the young woman's face.

"So smarty-pants, does this look like a monster?" Marceline asked in her new cat form, a black paw stepping on Bubblegum's notepad to get her to look at the form. Bubblegum jumped slightly, as if unsure as to what Marceline had turned into. At the sight of the seemingly-harmless black cat standing on top the counter she relaxed, an elbow leaning forward onto the counter as she examined Marceline's new form.

"…No." Bubblegum replied after a moment, adjusting her glasses with her free hand. "I suppose it doesn't look like a monster. Quite the opposite, actually. Kind of cute."

A moment of hesitation and she reaches a hand out, scratching at the ruff of fur behind Marceline's ears. "So, does this mean you assume some of the qualities and attributes that cats possess?" She asks curiously, rubbing her thumb in circles behind her furry ears and peering close for a reaction. "Instinct to prey on small animals? Reaction to catnip? You know, this is actually quite interesting…perhaps I should be taking notes…"

"I like my ears scratched," Marceline said as she leaned into the other girl's hand, "And usually not in my regular form but in this form chasing mice is almost as much fun as running with wolves. And-HEY I'm a thousand year blood sucking vampire, stop that" Marceline pawed at the princess's hand, not to scratch her but to get her to stop scratching her ear. If she was in her normal form she was sure there would be a blush spread across her face seeing as how much she was craving the pink haired girl's attention in this form.

Bonnibel couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips, pulling her hand away when Marceline batted at it with her tiny paws. Not that she was worried it would hurt, not in this form. Though she wouldn't be surprised if Marcy packed some unpleasant claws. "Alright, alright. Don't get huffy."

"I created this form so that I could walk around outside during the day, the fur kinda acts like my clothes and protects me from the sun-Hey do you have any string?" Marceline stretched out across the counter before sitting down in front of Bonnibel, "I like to play with string in this form too." Marceline eyed the girl's hand that was no longer on her ears before nudging it over her head, "And I really like my head scratched."

"Sorry, I don't exactly make it a habit to store knitting supplies in the same room I conduct experiments." She said with a little shrug, rubbing at Marceline's head again when she prodded with a gentle nudge. She was amused at how pet-like the vampire queen was being in this form. Perhaps she hadn't fully perfected it yet? Not that the Princess would complain, she loved cats and this playful kitty-Marcy was nice.

"So, this is why you came over today?" Bonnibel asked in wry amusement, raking her fingers through silky dark fur. "To distract me from my experiments with your endearing feline appeal and let me scratch behind your ears? Though I have to say, it's better than the giant lizard monster."

"My plans are never that simple!" Marceline stated as she grinned in her cat form. "My plan was to win you over with my endearing, as you say, appeal and then get you to play with me….the scratching is a bonus."

"Not so simple indeed." Bonnibel said with playful sarcasm, offering a lofty roll of her eyes. It was just as easy to be amused by Marceline as it was to be irritated by her, she supposed. Though she did much prefer getting along rather than wasting her breath on another argument.

The black furred animal ducked into a playful bow, looking up at the princess with a charming look in blood red eyes. "Come on, Bonnie, it's been sooooo long since we've hung out together." Marceline jumped up placing her paws on the princess's left shoulder, "Seriously, when's the last time you left this joint?"

"Pah! I go out all the time." Bonnibel scoffed, crossing her arms. After a moment or two, "I just…well, I haven't had much reason to lately. Things have been calm for the past few weeks, but my subjects always need me."

She looked into those blood red feline eyes, internally debating with herself. Maybe doing something with Marceline wouldn't be…too bad? "Hmph. Perhaps we can do something…what did you have in mind? I'm still not running with those wolves of yours, though."

"Fine, no running with wolves," Marceline took a moment to look out the window to see the sun setting. She remembered the cloud kingdom looked very pretty after the sun went down. All the stars shined brighter then they ever did from down here in the Candy Kingdom. "Let's go to the cloud kingdom." Marceline offered, her tail flicking playfully as she said so,

"Ever fly though the clouds? It's super fun! Especially flying through the rain clouds. What do ya say? You can't tell me you never wondered what it would be like to fly thought a cloud."

"Cloud kingdom?" Bonnibel echoed curiously, following Marceline's gaze out the window to where the setting sun was slowly giving way to the stars. "Huh. An interesting choice. Certainly better than the wolves, though. How do you suppose we're going to-"

She's cut off when Marceline abruptly shifts back to her humanoid form, sending many of her important documents and beakers flying. The princess goes to dive for them, but the vampire managed to right them all before any actual damage could be done. Bonnibel sighed heavily, gave Marceline a warning look, but didn't otherwise comment on her potentially grave mistake.

"Uh, Sorry." Marceline murmured flashing the princess an apologetic grin that didn't seem to phase the other girl.

"…as I was saying," Bonnibel huffed, nudging aside the more volatile chemicals where they couldn't be sent flying by errant limbs. "How exactly do you suppose we're going to get there, though? Or, rather, how will I."

She gestured at herself, quirking a brow. "I am not exactly anatomically built for flying among the clouds."

Marceline hopped off the counter to avoid potentially breaking anything else. "I'll fly you." Marceline stated as if it should have been obvious. "You may spend a hell of a lot of time in here, but I'm sure you haven't gained enough weight to make it impossible for me to carry you."

Dropping her hat on an empty space on the lab table, the vampire stretched out before smirking, a fang poking through as she did before turning her back to Princess Bubblegum patting her shoulder, "So hop on so we can go."

The princess heaved another sigh in Marceline's direction, scrunching up her nose in a frustrated manner. "Just because I spend a lofty amount of my time in here does not mean I have gained weight. I'll have you know I practice regular exercise, thank you very much."

Bonnibel hesitated for a moment, staring into Marceline's crimson gaze and trying to find some sort of joke within them. It wasn't that she didn't trust Marceline, but…the idea of falling to her doom was not a pleasant one. Nonetheless, Bubblegum rolls her eyes skywards and goes to shuck off her lab coat, letting it drop onto the counter next to her day walking hat. "I must be out of my mind."

Bubblegum leans forward to curl her arms securely over Marceline's shoulders, knees hitching around the vampire's hips as cool grey hands wrap themselves solidly around the back of her knees, holding the princess steady there. Bonnibel's chin comes to rest on Marceline's shoulder, and she speaks into her ear. "You better not drop me, Marceline, I swear. I will come back to haunt you with a vengeance."

"That would have been so much sexier if you didn't threaten me." Marceline laughed, the vibrations from it causing the princess to tighten her hold on the vampire.

"Relax Bonnie," Marceline smiled as she floated off the ground and out of the lab and castle the same way she came in. "I'm not going to drop you and even if I did, It'd be kinda cool having you haunt me for all eternity." Marceline mentally slapped herself when she heard the slight trace of sadness in her voice. She would love to have the princess with her forever…It wasn't easy being immortal and out living all your friends. Even if the Candy People had longer life expediencies then humans, everything ended eventually. Except her.

Bonnibel frowned but tried to settle in, attempting to the best of her ability to 'relax' like Marceline said. Her head quirked to the side though, eyebrows raising at Marceline's glum tone. What did she sound so sad about? Glob it, this girl was confusing. She would never understand.

Marceline quickly redirected her attention when they got outside, the cool nighttime air hitting her skin as crimson eyes studied the sky before resting on a group of clouds just north of the castle. "Hold on Princess." Marceline warned before flying towards the clouds at an impressive speed, not to fast to knock Bonnie off, but fast enough to get the wind to whip around them, laughing as the princess tightened her grip around her shoulders. The Vampire monarch darted upward through the first puffy white cloud. The only science the Half-demon actually taught herself was that clouds were made mostly out of water so when flying through them it felt like flying through cool mist. The level of water depending on how dark the clouds were.

"I don't know, Marceline-" Bonny began, cutting off at their sudden rapid ascension towards the sky. The princess squeezed her eyes shut as they shot upwards through a large cloud, the cool vapors misting across her face. Her heart was pounding in her ears from the thrill, but she figured if she didn't look down she would be okay. No need to remind herself about the dizzying drop. She could hear the vampire laughing as they darted through the cloud, the sound in itself a melody to the pink haired girl.

"I don't know," she repeated again, "if having me haunt you would be all that cool." Bubblegum smiles absently, somewhat in awe of the area around them. Fluffy white clouds for as far as the eye could see- maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe.

"I mean, eternity is a long time." She sneaks the vampire a sideways glance, unconsciously tightening her hold. _Just don' t look down_. "You'd get tired of me eventually."

Marceline looked skyward at the remaining layers of clouds above them, after that would be the clearest view of the nighttime sky. After hearing the other girl say that she would get tired of her eventually, Marceline could feel the other's gaze on her as she dropped her head as she gave a short laugh. Although she tried to make it sound like her normal, she couldn't keep that bitter tone out of it. Bonnibel frowned deeply at Marceline's bitter sounding laugh, looking up from where her chin lay perched on her shoulder to observe the fluffy layer of clouds that float above them. Wow, yeah, they were really up high now. She didn't even want to think about falling.

"I for one know how long an eternity is." Marceline remarked as she picked her head back up, red eyes turning to meet the princess's. "Or at least know what over a thousand years feels like."

Marceline ascended again up towards the next layer of clouds. These were fluffier meaning that they held a bit more water then the clouds they just went through. The vampire didn't pick up pace this time like she had the last time,

"I know it really sucks to be alone for an eternity," She hadn't meant for her voice to sound that quiet, but it came out that way. She turned away from the Candy Monarch and back towards the clouds, hoping that the princess wouldn't catch the sad look in her crimson gaze.

"Hey now. Don't worry about it. I mean, we have the present, right? And presently, I seem to have- for whatever reason- allowed you to drag me up here hundreds of feet above the ground to play in the clouds. We don't need to worry about eternity." Bubblegum said allowing her voice to become soft as to let the other girl know that she didn't have to think about what would happen many years from now.

They finally break through the topmost layer, and the sight in front of them is certainly one to behold. It seemed while they were still under the cover of the clouds, the sun had fully set, and now miles of black-velvet skies dotted with diamond stars rolled out before them. The princess's breath caught in her chest as she took it all in; she had never seen the night sky like this. So close she could almost touch, so clear she could see on for forever. "Who needs to worry about eternity when you have this in front of you? This is beautiful, Marceline. Breathtaking.." A moment of silence stretches between them, and Bubblegum adds on, "…thank you for taking me here. Honestly."

Marceline smiled as a light blush covered her face. She was glad that Princess Bubblegum was enjoying herself, "Anything for you, Bonnie."

The vampire examined the sky, the brilliant bright stars contrasting against the dense black sky.

"I like looking at the stars, their the one thing that hasn't changed in a thousand years," Marceline remember when she was a child and her mom would sit outside with her and name all the constellations in the night sky. "Reminds me of when I was a kid, my mom would open my bedroom window every night and tell me a story using the constellations"

Bubblegum rested her chin on Marceline's shoulder and stared in silence at the plethora of stars that surrounded them, little winking white lights in a sea of darkness. Stories about the stars sounded like something that she would be interested in, but the princess was hesitant to question Marceline on the topic. The Vampire Queen rarely brought up anything personal, and if she did it usually wasn't a good idea to press her about it. Bonnie was shocked that she had actually mentioned her mother at all. Sensitive topics like that usually weren't welcome, but she was just about to muster up the courage to question her about it when Marceline's steady hold on her disappears.

There is a terrible, terrible moment where Bonnibel is being held by nothing more than the cool night air, and she's sure that she is about to plummet to her untimely death. But then, out of nowhere, Marceline is underneath her, cradling the princess with her body and sturdy arms- Bonnie gasps for breath like a fish out of water, heartbeat pounding in her temples. Laughing, the half-demon wrapped her arms around the Candy Monarch now settled on her lap, "Bet you don't get a view like this in your lab."

"Marceline!" She gasps, shock leaving her tone far more breathy than she would have liked. Despite her irritation she clings to the vampire for dear life, cheeks flushed red with some mixture of anger and embarrassment. "_Oh my glob_, that was not funny! I thought I was going to die!" She squeaks, softening slightly at Marceline's words. Still, she mumbles, "I don't nearly plummet seven hundred or so feet to the ground in my lab, either."

"Wha-OH" Marceline rubbed the back of her neck, "Sorry, I forgot we were that high up…" She wrapped her arms tighter around the other girl as a means of assuring her that she would not drop her. "Besides I'm not going to drop you. Don't you trust me?"

"…I suppose, yes. I do trust you," the princess answered slowly, settling back into Marceline's arms so her head lolled against her shoulder and she could look up at the stars. The steady circles rubbed along her back and the fact that she was wound up in Marceline's arms so securely all added up to a general feeling of safety, despite how high she was off the ground. Bonnibel felt her heartbeat slow down and decrease back to its steady, calm rhythm once more, the tremors fading away from her voice.

Marceline looked back up at the sky and smiled as she recalled all the stories her mom told her about the many constellations, rubbing the pink haired girl's back as to calm her after scaring her. One of the constellations caught her eye, "Orion," Marceline started as she gestured with one hand over to the group of stars, "Was a skilled hunter to the gods and provided them their meat for their meals. One day the goddess Artemis joined him on one of his hunts. When they spotted a deer, Orion carefully fitted an arrow to his bow and shot at the creature with confidence, believing his skill had killed the deer instantly. Artemis was pleased with Orion, who had then promised to impress Artemis more the following day."

"Dawn the next day Orion set off to hunt. He killed every animal he came across and left the dead creatures near Artemis's house. He knocked on the door eager to show the goddess his successful hunt. However Artemis was horrified at the sight." Marceline looked down at Bonnibel, tapping the girl's temple, "You see Artemis is also the protector of the animals and punished those who killed more then they could eat. She summoned a scorpion that stung the hunter in the heel leading him to a painful death. But in honor of his great service to the gods, Zeus placed his constellation in the sky."

The tale Marceline shared with her was one that brought fourth feelings of both awe and confusion; awe, because these tales manged to stay immortalized for who knows how long through Marceline and the stars, but confusion because…these gods and goddesses didn't sound recognizable at all. Zeus? Artemis? Sounded more like something pulled straight out of a fairytale book to her. Then again, she was always on the more…logical side of the spectrum. It was nonetheless nice to hear something from Marceline that she remembered so fondly.

Marceline offered the princess a smile, "I guess the moral of the story is to not get a big head. I'm sorry I scared you, but I want you to know that I would never drop you…I like you too much."

At Marceline's words, Bonnibel feels her face go hot; hoping fervently that she wouldn't see because of how dark it was outside, the princess coughs into the crook of her elbow and shifted down a bit, so she was laying against the vampire's chest.

"Nice to know you like me enough to not send me plummeting to an untimely demise…I would say likewise, but you're the one who can float here." The corners of her mouth quirk up into a smile as she tilts her violet gaze upwards to look at Marceline. "But I like you enough to let you drag me out here in the middle of my work. That's saying something." Bonnibel comments around a yawn, eyelids drooping slightly against the light of the full moon. Glob, how late was it? How long had they been out and about? She had absolutely no idea.

Marceline smiled as she heard the princess yawn, "Getting tired, Princess?" Marceline asked as she looked towards the moon, using it similarly to how someone would use the sun to tell the aproximite time. "It's close to midnight," The vampire mused as she leaned back so that she was in a laying position floating on her back with Bonnie resting on top of her. Grey arms wrapped tightly around the tired monarch. She drifted right atop the clouds like that, wanting to savor every second out of her time with Bonnie before she had to bring her back to the castle.

"Mmm. Just a little." Bonnibel murmured in reply, biting back another yawn as she reclined back onto Marceline, face tucked snugly against the side of her neck. Wow, it was midnight already? Bonnibel didn't know how she had lost track of time so severely. She always had track of time. She managed time, calculated time, and yet here she was- midnight, well past her sleeping schedule, drifting without purpose above the clouds.

You work too hard sometimes, ya know?" Marceline stated, pausing for a moment before dropping a light kiss on the Candy monarch's forehead as a slight blush crept to the vampire's face, "You should let me take you up here more…ya know to clear your head and keep you sane when your experimenting….and during the day I can turn into a cat and let you scratch my ears." The vampire added with a smile playing on her face.

"I don't work too hard. I work a perfect amount. I do what needs to be-" she's cut off as cool lips flutter against her forehead briefly; it is chaste, and quick, but its enough to leave the princess a silent, blushing mess for a moment or two.

"W-Well," Bubblegum murmured, eyes downcast to hide her embarrassment. "I'd like to do things like this more often. Really. It's just- I'm busy. There's a reason I'm so busy. Managing a kingdom isn't easy." After a moment she blows a tired raspberry; decidedly un-princess-like, but Bonnie inwardly declared that she decidedly didn't give a fritter right then.

"Ugh. I don't want to think about it. There's really no getting away from my work, and that's that. Though maybe I wouldn't mind kitty Marceline stopping by once in a while. Plus, you being a cat saves me the trouble of having to calm down my guards after you show up." A meaningful pause, lips quirked up in a smile, and then "You literally scared the peels off of them, once."

"Pft, that wasn't MY fault," Marceline stated as she dropped one arm momentarily into the clouds below similar to how one would when floating down a river. She picked it back up after a moment of thought, wrapping it back around the princess. "It was only a joke, I wasn't really going to kill them. I didn't think it would scare them THAT much…"

Marceline laughed thinking back. The guards wouldn't let her in to see Bonnie and asked for her to give them a reason why they should let a vampire past. After more arguing Marceline got tired of it all and turned into a tentacle monster, which of course scared the hell out of the guards. She was lucky the kingdom didn't go into a full lockdown because of it. The only thing that stopped the guards was Bubblegum…who was sure to give her a long lecture about how it was wrong of her to scare the guards.

"I paid for it…that was one of the longest lectures you've ever given me." Marcy laughed, "And I only understood half of it! You used all these long words that made no sense. The look on all their faces when you stomped up to the 'deadly monster' yelling about how wrong and…uncouth, I think was the word you used, it was."

"Hmph. Uncouth is right." The princess griped, lips twitching down at the memory. She could handle the late night scares when she randomly popped up on her balcony. She could deal with the daily interruptions of her labwork. But if there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was her people being threatened. Even though Bonnie was sure Marceline wouldn't truly hurt any of them, they both knew a decent scare could lead to an unfortunate explosion. She wouldn't let it happen on her watch.

"You know I'm not past lecturing you. I should hope that's reason you haven't done it again." The princess tries to sound stern, but she ends up sounding more affectionate than anything. Truth be told, she didn't know why she kept letting Marceline pull stunts like this. She didn't know why she let her drag her away from her work to go to this place or that. It was baffling. Illogical.

Marceline's laughter died down over a minute, "And that wasn't me asking permission. Weather you like it or not I will invade your lab in my endearing cat form…and I expect yarn in exchange for keeping all the mice out."

"Pft. I don't think I could stop you if I tried. Alright. I'll be sure to keep a handy supply of yarn in my laboratory, then." Bonnibel hummed, grinning against the dip of Marceline's shoulder. She yawned again then, long and drawn out, eyes squeezing shut and shoulders tensing. Her arms looped loosely around Marceline's waist droop sleepily, and despite the fact that she's just as close to the edge as she was before, the princess is too tired to worry now.

"I…I should probably get back to the castle," Bonnibel says slowly, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "It's late."

"Ok," Marceline agreed sadly as she shifted so she was holding Bonnibel bridal style, slowly floating down back towards the candy castle. Her boots hit the balcony to the princess's room with a soft, almost inaudible click. She opens the fancy doors into the Princess's room, walking rather then floating in before closing them behind her. She rested Princess Bubblegum on the soft bed, taking off the princess's shoes and laying them neatly at the foot of the bed. Turning briefly, Marceline closes the curtain above the doorway, discarding her red boots by just to the side of the door.

"Sorry to knock you off your sleeping schedule princess," Marceline's voice was more endearing then teasing as she pulled the blanket up, tucking the monarch into bed. "But you know my time management skills stink." The vampire added playfully before brushing pink locks out of the girl's face, sitting on the side of the bed. After a moment the vampire leaned toward the princess, resting her hand on the side of her head as she leans over her, leaving a lingering kiss on the other girl's forehead.

Bonnibel was more than a little bit surprised by how attentive Marceline was being, right down to pulling the blankets up snugly around her shoulders. She tried a sleepy protest once or twice, that it wasn't necessary and she could get herself to bed just fine, but either Marceline didn't hear her or she simply didn't care. Regardless, maybe she was a little glad the queen wasn't leaving just yet. Maybe.

Yet another kiss to the forehead yet again leaves the princess with a warm face and the sudden sensation that her brain has disconnected from the rest of her body. She tries to ignore it, really hard, and instead comments, "…so you've seen me sleeping before, huh?" A knowing smile just barely hinted at the corners of Bonnie's mouth, eyebrows raised. She shouldn't have been all too surprised. The princess knew she liked to hang around unseen, specifically around Finn and Jake's tree house. Sometimes it made her wonder if that shadow she saw from the corner of her eye or that faint sound she heard across the room was ever really her imagination.

Marceline's face is so close she can count every eyelash, feel her cool breath wash over her face. Maybe she didn't have to leave. Bonnibel didn't want her to, the realization struck her hard and fast and before she knows what she's doing a hand comes up and threads itself though the dark coils of hair that barely brush the side of her face, mouth struggling to form words. "I…um, wait," she tries, mouth suddenly dry. She licks her lips, clears her throat, tries again. "Would you…would you stay?"

Marceline is suprised by the request, her head tilts lightly towards the hand that is in her black hair. Bonnie had never requested that the vampire stay with her much after being taking home or going to bed. Marceline smiled at the girl's request, "Ok, I'll stay right here, I promise no floating off."

Marceline didn't move away from the other girl, she liked being closer to her. To be able to see into those eyes who's color was disoriented through the googles she wore during experiments. To feel her warm fingertips graze her ear as her hand traveled through her hair. Marceline pulled back momentarily as she settled down next to the pink hair princess, resting on top of the blanket while the other rested comforatbly under it. "Any particular reason you want me to stay?"

It was occuring to the vampire that the princess's voice almost sounded weak to her ears. She worried that something might be scaring the other girl…and she was not going to let anything scare Bonnibel. She cared for her too much…and she loved her too much. As much as the vampire queen would like to say otherwise, she was in love with the Candy Kingdom princess. "If anything's bothering you, you know I will kill if for you." Marceline offered flashing a charmingly devilish smirk, "But seriously, if anythings wrong I can help you."

"Wh-what?" Bonnie stammered, caught off guard by the question."OH, aha, no no. No particular reason." She waved a hand at Marceline dismissively, a nervous chuckle sounding out a moment later. Maybe she couldn't handle this after all. Good Glob, she sure felt like a floundering idiot.

"You don't need to kill anything for me. Just uh, you know," the princess shrugged, burrowing her cheek down into her pillow as she turned and faced the girl next to her. "It's just…been a while. You used to stay all the time. Some days I would forget to close the blinds, and I'd find you hiding under the bed in the morning. Remember?" Bubblegum giggled quietly, a far-away smile quirking up one corner of her mouth.

"Hmm, it has been a while hasn't it?" Marceline asked absent-mindedly as she tried to remember how long it has been. She may have had a terrible sense of time but she knew it had been many a few years since she had spend the night with Bonnibel. Had it really been that long since she stayed with her? The last time she actually slepted in a bed instead of just floating above it?

"Ha, I remember," Marceline stated as her hand pulled the blanket up over the candy princess's shoulder before resting on the pink haired girl's bicep. "I made you change the blinds because those transparent ones you used to have were no help."

Marceline studied the girl next to her. She had seen this girl age from a young girl a little older then Finn up until now. They had been friends for so long now. The only thing that changed was that as her pink haired friend got older her responsibilities as Candy Kingdom Ruler increased. Soon they were fighting and it seemed like it was all at the fault of the crown.

again

She was loosing another person to a piece of metal placed on their heads. Gold with a few shiny gems. First it was Simon and Marceline understood that it was because of the dark magic within the crown, but Bonnibel? Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum was not under any magical control. It wasn't a cured crown older then the vampire herself. Yet a crown, a mere object to show royalty, was again standing in her way. That's why Marceline didn't wear one, even if she was the Vampire Queen she refused to wear the very object that had forced two of the people she cared about to change and leave her.

Marceline liked when the Candy Princess didn't wear it. It made it easier, it seemed. She would hang out with Marceline when the crown wasn't on the pink haired girl's head. Marceline idly played with strands of pink hair, "Sometimes I forget what you look like without the crown." Marceline stated, her tone almost ghostly as red eyes studied the other girl carefully as if some sort of magic would pull her away,

"Hm," A small smile started for form again on the black haired demon's face, "You look normal without it ya know? I mean you look like a normal person, not a royal person."

"I _am_ a normal person. It's just…" the princess trailed off. She wasn't sure she could say anything she hadn't already said before. Responsibility demanded sacrifice. That phrase was something she needed to repeat to herself a lot as of late. Every time she needed to cancel plans with the friends she so desperately wanted to spend time with. Every time she stayed awake at night, missing the one person she really_couldn't_ afford to miss. But, glob, hadn't she sacrificed enough already? She was so tired of making sacrifices. So, so terribly tired.

"The crown doesn't change who I am." But even then, the half-truth stuck in her throat and very nearly didn't come out. Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum wore the crown. Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum made the sacrifices, laid down the law, and wasted no time in trivial things of no significance. But what about Bonnie, who was truly just a young woman aching to live life? Sometimes she had trouble telling the difference between the two.

"I just…well, I…what I meant to say was…" Those fingers idly playing with her hair aren't helping her thought process, because she's very nearly crippled by nostalgia at the simple gesture. Bonnibel swallows heavy, licks her dry lips, tries again. "I never said…sorry. For when- when we fought. It was so long ago but all those things I said, glob, Marceline, I am so wholly and truly _sorry_. I didn't mean any of it, not really, but I -" The princess cuts herself off. She's babbling, and babbling is dangerous because she can't take the time to measure and think about what she's said. Too much. She's already said too much; instead of speaking further, Bonnibel clears her throat and turns her gaze away, too uncomfortable to look the vampire in the eyes.

Marceline lisened to the princess's apology, suprised that she was recieving one at all. She really couldn't remember the last time that the princess had said that she was sorry to her. The vampire was conviced that it was because that damned crown wasn't on her head that she was talking like a normal person. As the princess turned Marceline frowned. "Hey, apology accepted."

Marceline's frown didn't ease up as the princess didn't turn back to look at her. "Besides, I missed you Bonnie," Marceline admitted, "And I…" Marceline cleared her thoat, not used to having to express anything through speaking. "Um, like you, ya know?" Darn, too informal.

Marceline cursed herself under her breath, running a hand through black hair before a stray thought came to her mind. She was bad at expressing emotion when she talked…but she was good at it when she sang, that it had been a while since she sang something for Bonnie. She used to do it all the time before their fight.

The sound of soft breathing made the vampire turn back to the princess, who had fallen asleep beside her. Marceline only smiled as she watched the other girl sleep. "Missed my chance again huh?" Marceline remarked to herself. "One day, I will get it right. I promise."


End file.
